The Smart Ark Student Digital Learning Program (SASDLP), one of the projects under the said alliance, had for its primary beneficiaries 40 selected Grade 10 students from the USM- University Laboratory School (USM-ULS). SASDLP is a free course divided into two batches allocating 20 students per set. The first batch was set on August 5-9, 2019 while the second batch on August 12-16, 2019. The training is expected to be completed on August 17, 2019.

Luke Chen, the focal person of Optimus Creative Agricultural Biotech Co., Ltd, in association with ASUS Foundation, Institute for Information Industry and Chung Yuan Christian University are the prime movers of this initiative. A total of 13 Taiwan-based professionals discussed the following topics: Code.Org Program Teaching and Practice, Code Monkey Program Experience and Interactive Games, Scratch Programming, Basic Course of App Inventor, HTML Introduction and Practice, and HTML Introduction and Practice.

The company through SASDLP aims to instill corporate social responsibility and establish a “tribal community” oriented to technology. Moreover, it responds to students’ technological and educational needs across different ages through computer programs and the promotion of digital learning.

With the support of USM President Dr. Francisco Gil N. Garcia, the program is spearheaded by College of Agriculture (CA) Dean Dr. Josephine R. Migalbin, ULS Principal Prof. Marlon T. Salvador, and ICTC Director Prof. Melecio Cordero.

The vision of the program jumpstarted when the then Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Palasig U. Ampang, together with the deans of USM, had series of benchmarking activities in September 2017 among esteemed Taiwanese institutions and Chung Yuan Christian University, one of Taiwan’s premier learning institutions.

“USM as one of the pillars of socio-economic development and agent of globalization in Southern Mindanao will make sure that the benefits of the partnership between our University and the Taiwanese groups will benefit the neighboring schools up to the ones in far-flung areas,” Migalbin said.

True to its commitment, the company promised that the computers used in the training will be handed to USM.